Azulejos

Italian producer Populous’ Azulejos spins loping electronic beats and tropical accents into songs as colorful as the intricately patterned Portuguese tiles the album is named after. “Alfama” sets the mood with breezy synths, flutes, and globe-trotting drum grooves; “Azul oro” evokes Four Tet and Juana Molina with its hypnotic kalimba loops and airy vocals. The title track adds resonant steel drums and wordless whoops to the mix—a perfect encapsulation of Populous’ knack for balancing hard-hitting synthetic percussion with hazy sunset atmospheres.